Reposted: Extension and English -- by Bruce Lin

The Paradox of Technology
We are living in the global village and technology is supposed to bring us closer to each other. Is that so? Do you use technology to the fullest? Do you use English? For many students, the coming of the Internet means countless hours of online gaming, chatting, and dating; besides, students have cram schools to attend and endless tests to take. I wonder how much time has left for them to reach out to the world through the Internet.
The Extension Concept
English dominates the world. If you know things only through Chinese, your perception of the world will be forever limited. English leads as the primary medium for twentieth-century science and technology and it is authoritative in reportage. Do you know this world is also full of matters that are fun and constructive? Economically, politically, and culturally, do you know that we can no longer afford not to pay attention to global affairs? I am concerned that the younger generation is being pulled away from the real things because of our educational and cultural contexts. Businessmen invented so many ways to learn English. Do they ever know that people don’t need fancy techniques to learn English? Remember that there is only one purpose to learn English – to communicate. You might think that you have to learn English well before you communicate. Actually, you should use English often regardless of your English proficiency. The purpose of this club is to make you be in love with reading English because nothing is more powerful than loving something. You can’t always learn grammar and memorize words; you need to absorb knowledge through English. Whatever you English proficiency is, use the language to extend your senses to feel the world. In other words, don’t learn English, use English.
There Is No Way to English; English is the Way
Human beings are the only animal that knows how to use languages. Using a language means making infinite use of these finite resources. There are only 26 letters in the English alphabet and it is amazing that these letters can bring us to infinity. Why choose a boring life? Please put aside your fear and forget about your grammar deficiency; use English to lead you as far as you can. There is no short-cut in learning a language as it is like personal experiences that take time to cultivate. Learning a language is like walking on a road that has no end. You can think of it as an endless torture. I would suggest you consider it as a process that will give you endless surprises.
Weijen
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/extensionreading/